Knee braces are often used for people who have had soft tissue tearing and subsequent soft tissue reconstruction surgery to repair the ligament and rebalance the joint back to close to normal stability. This often leaves the user in a position to require a brace when playing sports to protect from further injury. Existing reconstruction techniques have been successful in restoring stability; however, due to anatomy and physiological differences of different users, the need for a brace is still real.
One of the problems with existing rigid braces is that this is often more bracing than what is really needed for people who have had soft tissue reconstruction. Generally upper level brace designs use some form of a rigid frame, cuffs, metal mechanically tracking hinges and a variety of strapping placed around the frame to restrict or limit movement of the proximal tibia during play to protect against subsequent injury. Additionally, existing designs do not have adjustable stability levels. Instead, the braces come in a “one level fits all needs” and the many people do not need this level of bracing.
Rigid bracing problems occur because the frame and hinge do not use anatomic methods for stability and restrict naturally kinematic movements. The leg and knee are a dynamic functioning system; attaching a rigid frame does not allow natural independent movement of the thigh and calf and the hinge does not allow natural rotation of the tibia on the femur during flexion. This creates a constrained joint and restricts the natural kinematic movement. This constraint creates problems during activity by restricting mobility/agility causing the inability to pivot turn—because the frame will not flex and let it occur. Additionally, the leg fights the brace for freedom of movement causing the brace to move around on the user's leg. This creates an unnatural binding feeling that causes the brace to migrate around, which results in the user constantly fidgeting with the brace.
After using the brace, the user becomes disenchanted with it—quits using the brace and either quits their desired level of play or tries a soft support that cannot provide enough protection to prevent further injury. This leaves the user without an available support to fit their specific needs. This identifies another problem. Existing choices of braces are either too much bracing—“over kill” or soft neoprene type products or, “not allow enough stabilizing support.” This leaves a problem for people and identifies major market needs.